Betacarotene
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Interesting facts about betacarotene:
- Betacarotene is found in plant foods
Betacarotene is found in orange / yellow / red coloured fruits and vegetables, as well as leagy green vegetables. - Betacarotene has a protective effect on plants
Betacarotene protects plants from ultraviolet light damage. - Betacarotene is a water soluble vitamin
Betacarotene is a water soluble vitamin, so any excess ingested in food or supplements is usually excreted through the urine - Betacarotene is the precursor of vitamin A
Betacarotene gets converted into vitamin A (by the thyroid hormone thyroxine) in the body as it is required and the rest is used by the body as a powerful antioxidant.
Sometimes if a person has too many betacarotene supplements their skin (especially the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet) can go slightly yellow-orange in colour
- Betacarotene gets converted into vitamin A in the intestines
Betacarotene is absorbed from the intestine and is converted into vitamin A only in the presence of bile acids. - Betacarotene is responsible for orange coloured fruits and vegetables
Sometimes if a person has too much betacarotene supplements (or too many carrots or other orange-coloured fruits or vegetables, but it really has to be a significant amount of these fruits of vegetables), their skin (especially the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet) can go slightly yellow-orange in colour. This is because betacarotene is the substance which is responsible for the orange colour in orange-coloured fruits and vegetables has become excessive in the body.
References
- One
- Grodstein F, Kang JH, Glynn RJ, Cook NR, Gaziano JM. A randomized trial of beta carotene supplementation and cognitive function in men: the Physicians' Health Study II. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Nov 12;167(20):2184-90